The video examines the role of police officers in the south Wales community, focusing on a routine welfare check involving children discovered outside without their parents. It highlights how frontline police officers have continued their duties throughout the pandemic, emphasizing on child protection and the various complexities involved in safeguarding potentially vulnerable children. This segment also touches on how child protection responsibilities have increased for police, especially when other agencies had limited contact due to the pandemic.

The video further explores the anticipated challenges as children return to school post-restrictions, shedding light on the potential uncovering of hidden cases of abuse or neglect. In England and Wales, educators and law enforcement officers prepare to address any newly visible signs of abuse that might have occurred during lockdown. The concept of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is crucial, as recognizing these signs earlier can lead to more effective intervention. The video showcases how Wales is taking a proactive approach by incorporating ACE awareness into their public policies and training protocols.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. neglect [nɪˈɡlekt] - (verb / noun) - Fail to care for properly, or the state of being uncared for. - Synonyms: (disregard, overlook, ignore)

...straight away you gotta one day to yourself, is there some neglect going on?

2. routine [roʊˈtiːn] - (adjective / noun) - A regular way of doing things, usual practice or procedure. - Synonyms: (usual, customary, standard)

For these southeast Wales police officers, this kind of call out is fairly routine, something like this.

3. scrutiny [ˈskruːtəni] - (noun) - Critical observation or examination. - Synonyms: (inspection, examination, analysis)

As kids head back to school and that scrutiny returns, what will it reveal about what's been happening behind closed doors? Normally there's a trickle effect of issues which may come to the surface, whereas if there is no release for any of that trickle over a period of what is now six months, then that trickle quickly turns into a stream and into a river

4. anticipate [ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt] - (verb) - Regard as probable; expect or predict. - Synonyms: (foresee, expect, predict)

I think we just have to be prepared to deal with what we could legitimately anticipate is going to be a significant number of children...

5. adverse [ˈædvɜːrs] - (adjective) - Preventing success or development; harmful, unfavorable. - Synonyms: (unfavorable, harmful, detrimental)

Amongst the most serious adverse experiences children may face is sexual abuse.

6. deconstruct [ˌdiːkənˈstrʌkt] - (verb) - Analyze (a text or a concept) to expose its hidden assumptions and contradictions. - Synonyms: (analyze, dismantle, dissect)

The training helps them deconstruct the potential risks of any call outs where a child is present.

7. paraphernalia [ˌpærəfəˈneɪliə] - (noun) - Miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a particular activity. - Synonyms: (equipment, apparatus, gear)

We could maybe see some drug paraphernalia.

8. safeguarding [ˈseɪfˌɡɑːrdɪŋ] - (verb / noun) - Protecting from harm or damage with an appropriate measure. - Synonyms: (protecting, securing, shielding)

Obviously there's a massive safeguarding concern there if parents using drugs around their children...

9. triggers [ˈtrɪɡərz] - (verb / noun) - Events that cause something to happen. - Synonyms: (initiates, sets off, prompts)

They need to know what it's like to be in the shoes of a child that's had the number of aces that have suffered abuse...

10. integrate [ˈɪntɪˌɡreɪt] - (verb) - Combine (one thing) with another to form a whole. - Synonyms: (combine, blend, unify)

While Wales has enshrined aces in public policy, though some work has been done in England, there isn't the same integrated thinking.

Coronavirus - Lockdown child sexual abuse 'hidden by under-reporting' - BBC Newsnight

Ogilvy. Ogilvy. So both eight and six, possibly younger, both have brown hair, medium length. Six year old is wearing a pink long onesie.

It's a Monday night in Bridgend, south Wales, so at the minute we've had a report that there's two children on their own, they've got no parents with them, so straight away you gotta one day to yourself, is there some neglect going on? But there's nothing massive to suggest that at the minute.

For these southeast Wales police officers, this kind of call out is fairly routine, something like this. It's more of a welfare check on welfare concern, which is something that we deal with quite a lot. We probably get a lot more these type of calls than we actually deal with crime.

The officers are trained to be acutely aware of the whole range of child protection issues they encounter on a shift. Are you okay? Take me to see mommy or daddy. Can I come with you?

The incident is rapidly resolved. The children are reunited with their parents and after making checks, the police decide all is well. It was just some words in the year of the parents to supervise their children, just to make sure they're okay and this doesn't happen again.

Throughout the pandemic, frontline policing has continued day in, day out when other agencies with oversight of children, schools, health professionals, even social workers, have been less prominent in their lives.

As kids head back to school and that scrutiny returns, what will it reveal about what's been happening behind closed doors? Normally there's a trickle effect of issues which may come to the surface, whereas if there is no release for any of that trickle over a period of what is now six months, then that trickle quickly turns into a stream and into a river.

Across the police service in England and Wales, senior officers are increasingly focused on what the most vulnerable children might start to share with school staff. Here in Norfolk, the chief constable leads the police response on child protection in the two nations.

I think we just have to be prepared to deal with what we could legitimately anticipate is going to be a significant number of children that are going to be presenting at school that might have been exposed to an adverse experience that might then have been subject to some form of abuse, be it physically within the home or online.

So this is our control room. This will be the calls that we receive. This will be the first point of call when safeguarding professionals pick up the phone, dial 101 and report their concerns around a child that's coming to school with bruising or is displaying some really concerning behaviours.

Amongst the most serious adverse experiences children may face is sexual abuse. Simon Bailey is given Newsnight data showing in England and Wales from April to August, referrals to the police for child sexual abuse dropped by a quarter on the same period last year.

The fear is that reduction is masking the reality of what's been going on. Children dealing with other issues of neglect and abuse may also have been suffering in silence.

I am concerned about the really significant reduction in the number of reports of child sexual abuse and I can't help but think that that is a misleading and false picture. That's one of my great concerns.

Those children that would have been exposed to those adverse experiences during lockdown, it's only going to come to light when they then start to spend time within the safe environment of a school, in contact with their teachers, whom are very, very good and adept at identifying those signs, the indicators that something is not right within that child's life.

All the drinking and fighting means I'm scared. adverse childhood experiences, or aces, come in many forms. Not just sexual abuse, but domestic violence and divorce, living in families with drug and alcohol addictions or mental health issues, all can have a serious impact on a child.

Feeling scared every day and not feeling loved or wanted will change me for the rest of my life. Later, I'll have problems with school, problems with alcohol, and I'll get in trouble with the police.

People who've experienced four or more aces are 20 times more likely to go to prison at some point. According to Public Health Wales, understanding early intervention doesn't just change futures, it also saves money.

Wales is taking a groundbreaking approach across public policy that's being watched with increasing interest over the border. Policing is just one of the agencies putting awareness of the impact of trauma at the heart of its work. We're very mindful that this isn't about asking police officers to be social workers, because that's the primacy of social workers.

But given our interactions on a daily basis with vulnerable people, it's absolutely our responsibility to identify those different vulnerabilities to scratch beneath the surface. And the aces research allows us to be able to do that.

Signed up. I thought it was as simple as turning up. You catch a bad guys, but as soon as you join, you quickly realize you're filling a lot more roles than just being a police officer.

What that means on the ground is that South Wales Police and other forces give all staff specialist aces training. The training helps them deconstruct the potential risks of any call outs where a child is present. Police pass the information on to social services, schools, and other agencies.

When we're dealing with these domestic incidents, we're always looking around, so it could be a case of that. We can see alcohol containers are laying around everywhere. We could maybe see some drug paraphernalia.

Go ahead, sarge. Someone's reporting that neighbours are smoking cannabis in front of their children. Obviously there's a massive safeguarding concern there if parents using drugs around their children or in front of their children.

Do I come in for a quick chat? Is that right? Using their aces training. Their investigation showed there was no sign of drugs and no child was deemed at risk.

It's not just welsh police who have this training. So too do school and health professionals. After a study showed 14% of the population of Wales had experienced four or more aces in childhood, the welsh government bought into the science. It's put ACE awareness at the heart of its policy response to dealing with children in difficulty.

So what does all this mean in a pandemic? If children have had experiences in lockdown that will only start to emerge in the next weeks, months and even years, is Wales more prepared in public health terms to respond to the challenges ahead of. Forget your masks when you go in.

At bridge ends, Penkoit comprehensive, with students returning, staff are on the alert. Even before the pandemic, like in schools across this nation, all staff here have been trained in how adverse childhood experiences can affect children. What they've learned has halved school exclusions and increased attendance.

They need to know what it's like to be in the shoes of a child that's had the number of aces that have suffered abuse. They need to know that and what it feels like and why they react and why their brains are working in a different way and why they're shouting, why they're screaming, why they fight, flight or freeze all the time.

Staff need to know that and why they are so they can put themselves in their shoes and also then how to deal with them. So this is the well being room now, this room we created. Following the AcE trainings, we had a.

So if you imagine a child that's in crisis, this is the place that they can come. It's that safe place. Now Pincoid is gearing up for what may emerge as a result of children having spent months behind closed doors. They're using tried and tested training in new uncertain times because of what's happened in the challenges families have had, maybe losing jobs, you know, the changes they've had to make.

You know, some families that have had that have, you know, now have to. Just have to make do and they left. Some children may have to go without because of the economic climate that we're in, so I think that will bring us challenges and of course, then the pressure within the family will increase.

So I do think we'll have a lot more, a lot more support that we need to put in place for pupils. One that worries me is a quiet child who doesn't say a lot. While Wales has enshrined aces in public policy, though some work has been done in England, there isn't the same integrated thinking.

Those responsible for child protection question why and what that might mean for children returning to school across the border. I don't think we have as joined up as a response as I would like to see. It needs to be the golden core that's woven through the fabric of everything that we do, be it in the police service, be it in the Ministry of Justice, be it in the Department for Education, the Department for Health.

We all have a responsibility to ensure that future generations of children have the opportunity to succeed and to thrive. A shared ambition to protect children isn't in doubt. And in England, money's been committed to supporting the vulnerable in these difficult times.

But those calling for Wales joined up approach to be extended believe what kids may confide about what's happened in lockdown now makes the this more urgent than ever. Katie Razel while the government said it had invested funds to support thousands of vulnerable children and its advice for schools was clear that they should continue to identify and report any incidences of abuse or harm, it added, were placing social workers in schools to help spot the signs of abuse and neglect more quickly and work with teachers to support children at risk.

Child Protection, Neglect And Abuse, Police And Community, Education, Wales, Leadership, Bbc Newsnight